All About Birthstones: Blue Sapphire for September

Posted on Sep 29, 2011 in Birthstones, Gemstones,

September’s birthstone is one of our favorite gemstones at GIA –sapphire. Sapphires have been long associated with royalty and romance (hence the engagement ring of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and The Royal Couple – William and Katherine!). Sapphires also are said to symbolize fidelity and the soul. “Sapphire” comes from the Greek word “sappheiros.” Sapphires come from the mineral corundum and come in every color but red, since red corundum is known as the other popular gemstone, ruby!

At GIA, we love the lore of blue sapphires. Persians believed that the earth rested on a giant blue sapphire, and the reflection was why the sky was blue.

If you’re shopping for blue sapphires, you’ll find the finest quality sapphires have a strong medium blue color, rather than a dark navy color or a pale pastel shade. And those that are slightly violet are more coveted than those that are slightly green.

Sapphires are most common in cushion and oval cuts and are generally more affordable than the comparable quality ruby, emerald or diamond.

All colors of sapphires are mined in Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Kenya. Recently, Madagascar has been an important source for blue, pink and other-colored sapphires. Kashmir and Myanmar are known to mine fine blue sapphires of high quality that are sought after by collectors since they are rare.

Sapphire has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, just one level belowdiamond in gemstone hardness. Sapphires are very durable and should be cleaned with mild dish soap in warm water. Use a toothbrush and scrub behind the stone where dust can collect.

Be aware that there are sapphires in the marketplace that are “synthetic” (man-made) or “treated” (artificially enhanced, often to improve color), and these should cost significantly less than natural sapphires.  Any synthetics or treatments  should be disclosed by the jeweler, and a valuable sapphire should be accompanied by an independent laboratory report.

Read more about the sapphire and other gemstones in our interactive gemstone guide.